I 





^ ... 



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iM E M O R I A L 



OF 



EDWARD C. D. LINES, 



LATE 



Captain of Co. C, 2d Reg't Kansas Cavalry. 



'I 



NEW HAVEN: 

Turtle, Morehouse & Taylor, Printers. 
1867. 



2ct 



" Eddie," as he was familiarly calleol in the family- circle, was born in New 
Haven, Conn., in May, 1836. His childhood and yonth were marked by the same 
attractive traits of character that distinguished his maturer years. He was always 
a favorite in every circle with which he was in any way connected. His parents 
cannot recollect a single instance when, by any misconduct of his, they felt a pang 
or shed a tear. His whole life was specially marked in a preeminent degree by an 
unselfish, self-sacrificing spirit ; and in this spirit, when the peril of the nation 
called upon the people to rally for its salvation, it may be truly said of him as of 
thousands of others, 

Thy life a willing sacrifice was given, 
Thy country's life'to save. 

To treasure up therefore in a permanent form, some suitable memorials of his 
" useful life and heroic death," these papers have been arranged and published. 
Unavoidable circumstances have occasioned protracted delay, but it is believed, 
nevertheless, that what should have been done at an earlier period may be wisely, 
appropriately and profitably done now. May we not hope that many of the young 
men of our day may find in these pages another incentive, to a higher and purer 
life. C. B. L. 

November, 1867. 






ADDRESS BY REV. S. W. S. DUTTON, D. D., 



AT THE FUNERAL OF CAPT. E. C. D. LINES. 



We commemorate to-day, in sorrow yet with grateful pride 
and joy, another of the costly sacrifices laid upon the altar of 
patriotism, humanity and religion — a husband, a father, a son, 
a brother, in the flower of early manhood, freely offered, from a 
sense of duty to country, to righteousness and to Grod, 

Such sacrifices are not in vain. They who offer them do 
more, perhaps, by their heroic death than they could do by 
their continued life. Though dead they speak, and all the 
more impressively and effectually because of their deaths Yet 
in order to this influence of their example, it is necessary that 
their heroic service and sacrifice should be known. It is emi- 
nently proper, therefore, that on this occasion there should be 
given a brief account of the youthful patriot martyr, whose 
body, recovered from a far distant battle field, we are now to 
deposit in the cemetery of his native city. 

The patriotism of Mr. Lines began to be signally manifested 
five years before the commencement of the present war, and 
was called out by the aggressions of that great iniquity which, 
long the chief cause of our national troubles, at length broke 
out in open rebellion. When the territory, pledged forever to 



4^ 



freedom by the faith of the nation, in the " Missouri Compro- 
mise," as it was called, was open to slavery by the repeal of 
that compromise in what was named the "Kansas Nebraska 
Bill," it was seen that the only way to preserve that vast and 
fertile region to freedom, was to occupy it with such a number 
of freedom-loving citizens as would constitute a majority in 
the Territory, and so control the character of its institutions. 
Accordingly, patriotic men, in various parts of the country, 
and especially in New England, inspired by then- own zeal for 
the interests of our country and humanity, and also by the zeal 
and aid of others, emigrated to that part of the country ; and, 
after a severe, protracted and sacrificing struggle with ihe un- 
scrupulous and ruffianly bands, who from various parts of the 
slaveholding region, and especially from the neighboring coun- 
ties of Missouri, invaded the Territory, and trampled on the 
rights of its real citizens, and assumed its civil control, they 
succeeded at length in rescuing Kansas from slavery, and 
making it a State more devoted, probably, to the interests of 
freedom than any other State in the Union. A noble work of 
righteousness and humanity — causing the first turning of the 
tide in favor of freedom ; a tide which has swept on and will 
sweep on till slavery is banished from the whole country. 

In that movement, as is well known by tliose who hear me, 
the father of our departed friend, Mr. Charles B. Lines, who 
had occupied a prominent i)lace of influence in this community, 
and especially in the Church and congregation worshiping in 
this Sanctuary, participated, being the leader in the formation 
of a company, which went out to Kansas and settled the town 



of Wabaunsee. At that time, Edward, his second son, then 
twenty years of age, though having a good position and fair 
prospects here, expressed his earnest desire to be permitted to 
take part in the enterprise. He joined the company, which 
left us with the hearty approbation and Christian benediction 
of a multitude here. Hardly had the colony become settled, 
when the territory was invaded by armed bands of "Border 
Ruffians," as they were appropriately termed, who murdered 
men ia their houses and fields, burned the new city of Law- 
rence, and were determined to lay waste the towns and cities 
of the Free State citizens, and to control the elections and civil 
affairs of the Territory in the interest of Slavery-extension. 
At that time, a military company was organized in Wabaunsee 
and vicinity, which marched at once to Lawrence. One of the 
most active and influential in raising this company was Edward 
Lines, who was chosen Lieutenant, and on the subsequent 
illness of its Captain was much of the time its actual com- 
mander. This company, being armed in the most effectual 
manner with Sharpens rifles, (which, by the way, were raised 
for them by subscription at a meeting in this very church, quite 
unexpectedly indeed, in response to an incidental statement 
during the progress of the meeting, that they had been dis- 
appointed in receiving, from another source, the necessary 
weapons for their self-defence,) this company, thus constituted 
and armed, was among the most efficient and self-sacrificing in 
defending the Territory against the savage invasions of that 
period, and in maintaining the rights of the Free-State 
majority. 



In that campaign, young Lines suffered severely from ex- 
posures and hardships, contracting a disease which disabled 
him for months, and nearly cost him his life. But it was a 
school of training for the future. In it he developed, in a 
remarkable degree, the qualities of a thorough and able military 
character — courage, coolness, sagacity, firmness, enterprise, and 
high appreciation of strict military principle and order, and 
determination both to regard and secure it. 

When the war of the rebellion began, by the assault upon 
Fort Sumpter, in the Spring of 1861, and the President of the 
United States called, by Proclamation, for 75,000 troops for a 
service of three months, our young friend was the first man in 
the county in which he resided to volunteer. He enlisted in a 
company which was made up from citizens of three contiguous, 
sparsely settled counties. He entered the service as a private, 
but upon the occurence of a vacancy a few days after the com- 
pany was organized, he was unanimously chosen lieutenant, the 
company having become a part of the 2d Regiment of Kansas 
Infantry, under command of Col. Robert B, Mitchell. 

Here I will digress for a moment to refer to an event that 
occurred about three months before this, the remembrance of 
whicli is an unspeakable consolation to sorrowing hearts to» 
day — the public profession by Mr. Lines, of his faith in Christ 
and his devotion to His service. In January, 1861, he united 
himself to the Church in Wabaunsee, together with his wife. 
He had been trained, from childhood, in the nurture and ad- 
monition of the Lord, and had always been correct in his 
principles, pure and upright in his conduct, and thoughtful 



upon the themes of religion ; but had not before decided to 
take an open position on the Lord's side, in the way of His 
appointment. Thus he had the highest qualification for the 
perilous service upon which he was soon called to enter, — faith 
in Christ, the Savior of sinners, and faith in God, the God of 
Providence, the God of battles, the God of righteousness and 
grace. And so, when the war began he engaged in it as a 
soldier of Christ, as well as a soldier of his country. 

His military merits were soon discovered and appreciated by 
Col. Mitchell, who, on account of the illness of his Adjutant, 
appointed him acting Adjutant. This position of acting Ad- 
jutant he held during that most trying summer campaign in 
Southwest Missouri, under the command of the heroic and 
lamented Gen. Lyon. In the various marches, skirmishes and 
battles of that campaign, he was very active, brave and efficient. 
In the severest of the fights, the fearfully contested battle of 
Wilson's Creek, in which Gen. Lyon fell, leading on his men 
against superior numbers, Mr. Lines was greatly exposed, riding 
hither and thither over the battle field to carry orders, and had 
early an increased responsibility, because both the colonels of 
the two Kansas Regiments, Col. Mitchell and Col. Dietzler, were 
wounded and borne off the field. Mr. Lines was in the van 
of the conflict, near Gen. Lyon when he was killed. His expo- 
sures am his remarkable preservation are seen in the facts, tht.t 
his sword was struck, and severely marked by three rifle balls, 
his saddle was raked by a canister shot, two horses during the 
day were shot under him, and he was, towards the close, while 
on the retreat, struck on the shoulder with a piece of spent 



shell, which did him no harm beyond a lameness for a few 
days. 

Col. Mitchell, afterwards, expressed to a friend the highest 
admiration of the courage, self-possession, efficiency, fidelity 
and thorough soldierly bearing of Mr. Lines, on that day of 
fearful fight. He said that he had been sending him with 
orders here and there over the field, in the face of musketry 
and cannonade, when, in one of the pauses of his work, Mr. 
Lines rode up to him, and said, "Don't feel any delicacy, 
Colonel ; send me anywhere you wish me to go." 

His courage, and his humanity also, and self-forgetfulness, 
are seen in another fact, which occurred at the beginning of 
the retreat, after the death of Gen. Lyon. They were passing 
through groves of timber, in which shot and shell were cutting 
their way so thickly, that there was a continual dropping on 
them of leaves and twigs and branches, when he heard on one 
side the groaning of a boy. He went to him, and found he 
was one of the drummer boys, or one attached in some way 
to the musical service. Mr. Lines dismounted, placed the 
wounded boy upon his horse, and led him on, necessarily at a 
slow gait, till they were beyond the reach of the enemy. 

Though the regiment originally enlisted on a call for three 
months service, yet through the influence of the patriotic Col. 
Mitchell, they served between lour and five months. Soon after 
they were mustered out of service, in the autumn of 1861, they 
w'ere organized anew as the 2d Regiment Kansas Cavalry ; and 
Mr. Lines was appointed 1st Lieut, of Co. C. In this position 
he served only a short time : his Col., Robert B. Mitchell, was 



soon after promoted to a Brigadier General, and appointed him 
as one of his Aids. Gen. Mitchell, with his brigade, was sent to 
join the Army of the Cumberland, on the east of the Missisippi. 
And in all the weary forced marches and severe engagements of 
that Army, in Kentucky and Tennessee, Mr. Lines endured 
bravely, and was entirely unharmed. In the desperate fought 
battle of Perryville, in which a part of our forces were allowed 
to contend against superior numbers, though reinforcements 
might easily have been brought up, Gen. Mitchell's brigade was 
in the thickest of the fight, and performed distinguished service. 
Such was the confidence of Gen. Mitchell in Mr. Lines, that he 
was accustomed to ask him to perform many duties of a 
responsible and critical nature, which perhaps did not strictly 
belons: to him but to other officers. And the General used to 
give his reason in such language as this, when he had sent him, 
for example, to station pickets at night, a service not pertaining 
to his office : — "When I know you have stationed the pickets, 1 
can sleep.'"' Indeed, such was his over- work in consequence of 
the confidence reposed in him by his General, and his own desire 
to do all in his power, that he felt it necessary to resign his 
position as Aid, and request to be returned to his old Com- 
pany, in the 2d Kansas Cavalry. This was in November, 1862. 
His Company, hearing that he was about to return to them, 
unanimously recommended him to be appointed to the office 
of Captain, which was then vacant ; and he was accordingly 
appointed. In this position he remained, sharing in all the 
severe service of that Regiment during the remainder of 1862, 

and the Spring and Summer of 1863. 
2 



10 



His position as Captain was one of peculiar exposure ; for 
on account of the confidence of the Commander in him, and 
his well disciplined Company, that Company was selected as 
the advance guard of the Brigade Command, a place of special 
danger in a country where the enemy is accustomed to the 
practice of ambush. And it was Capt. Lines' custom always 
to ride in front of his Company, because he thought it his duty 
so to do. He used to say to his father, when exhorting him 
not to expose himself unnecessarily: — "Do not give yourself 
any uneasiness about me. I shall not risk any unnecessary ex- 
posures, and on the other hand, I shall always endeavor to be 
just where my duty calls me." 

It was in the performance of this duty, leading his Com- 
pany as an advance guard, that he lost his life by a volley 
from a party of the enemy in ambush, a few miles from Fort 
Smith, Arkansas. 

The account of this, I will give in the language of an eye- 
witness, the Surgeon of the Kegiment, Doct. J. P. Boot, for- 
merly Lieut. Gov. of the State of Kansas, and one of the origi- 
nal Wabaunsee Colony, addressed by him in a letter to Capt. 
Lines' bereaved wife. He says : 

"Long ere this reaches you, you will have learned of the 
.death of your dear husband, whose remains we have this day 
buried in the U. S. Cemetery, at Fort Smith ; the members 
of the Kansas Cavalry, standing as tearful mourners around 
his grave, as with military honors we bade adieu to the body, 
that so recently contained the spirit of the brave, noble, high- 
minded, gallant and lovely officer, who by heroic deeds in his 



11 



country's service, as well as private acts in social life, had en- 
deared himself to all who knew him. 

In our recent campaign of several weeks of almost constant 
forced marches by night and day, Col. Cloud had selected your 
husband's company as his special body-guard for his brigade 
command — a deserved compliment to the bravery and integrity 
of Capt. Lines, and his gallant company. 

During most of our recent marches, extending a distance of 
nearly five-hundred miles, through Southwestern Missouri, 
Northwestern and Western Arkansas, both above and below 
the Arkansas River, through the Cherokee Indian Nation, to 
Fort Gibson, through the Creek and Choctaw Nation, well on 
to Texas, constantly chasing rebels of every grade, from the 
bushwhacking assassin bandit, to the rebel who dared to stand 
behind his cannon, and contend for his ground, until put to 
flight by our surer aim and sterner purpose, Capt. Lines was 
most of the time in our advance. 

We had chased G-en. Steele and Cooper nearly to Texas 
without getting a general engagement with the enemy, and had 
turned back towards Fort Smith, where we expected a battle 
with Gen. Caball. In this, however, we were disappointed ; 
for the cowardly traitor left our front during the night ; and 
the next day, Gen. Blunt ordered Col. Cloud, with a portion 
of his Cavalry and Artillery, to pursue. This order was 
promptly obeyed. When about twenty miles south of this 
place (Fort Smith) we overtook the enemy and engaged him, 
strongly posted among the mountains, immediately upon what 
is called the Back-bone — a high ridge of rocky and timbered 



12 



land. The battle was opened by a volley of musketry, nearly 
in our faces, from a company in ambush. Capt. Lines' com- 
pany was in the advance and received the first shock, at which 
your husband received a fatal wound from a rifle ball. 

Capt. Lines fell while gallantly leading his men, at the head 
of our column. I was riding with Col. Cloud, close behind, 
and immediately went to the Captain's assistance. But all I 
could do was to alleviate. With a smile he said to me : 
' Doctor, I am mortally wounded. I have felt all the time that 
I should not survive this Campaign. I do not fear death. 
How sad my wife, my father and friends will feel ! This is all 
that troubles me.' He cheered his wounded comrades who were 
groaning around him ; but not a groan or murmur escaped his 
lips. He desired me to tell you and his father and his friends, 
how he died. Never did bravery show itself more than when 
with heroic fortitude he bore his most excruciating pains with- 
out a sigh of sadness, while the groans of the wounded were on 
all sides, and the shot and shell of the enemy were falling thick 
around us. * * * He lived between three and four hours, 
long enough to be cheered by the knowledge that the enemy 
had been routed completely, and had hurried from the field, 
leaving their dead and dying in our hands. 

What can I say to cheer your widowed heart ? When danger 
threatened Kansas in its early history, your husband gave 
himself to her defence. Never can I forget those scenes in 
which I knew him so well. When the present rebellion first 
broke out, he again sprang forward to rescue his country, and 
foremost on many a hard fought field has he testified his gallant 



13 



patriotism and undying devotion to tlie cause of freedom. A 
shower of leaden hail has been falling around him since, as 
Adjutant of the 2d Regiment of Kansas Volunteers, in the 
Wilson's Creek battle, he fought close beside the lamented 
Lyon, up to the hour when he lost his life at the battle of 
the Back-bone. 

I knew him well, and dearly did I love the brave, good young 
man. All loved him. He has left a host of friends, both in 
military and civil life, who will ever cherish the memory of 
Capt. E. C. D. Lines." 

A few additional particulars are given in a letter from J. W. 
Robinson, also a Surgeon of the 2d Kansas Regiment. He 
says : " Mr. Lines was aware he should live but a few hours, 
and said that he died where he preferred to die — at the head 
of his Company. He had always tried (he said) to do his duty 
to his country, and he only regretted that he had not been able 
to do more." He died, Dr. Robinson adds, firmly believing in 
his better estate in the world to come. 

Of the great respect and affection with which he was re- 
garded, there is abounding testimony. Dr. Robinson says, 
"No man was ever more beloved by his company than he was ; 
and no man more properly deserved it." He adds, that they 
were "almost fi-antic with grief" at his death. 

The Manhattan Independent, published near his home, says, 
"We honored him for his self-sacrificing patriotism. He saw 
the liberties of his country imperilled, and he only thought of 
how he could devote a brave heart and an earnest life to her 
cause. He was the first man in his county to enlist. * * '•'* 



14 



While Kansas has a history, his name will be mentioned as 
one of her most honored sons ; one of the martyrs to the 
cause of liberty, whose fame, though pure and spotless now, 
will shine with increased lustre as the ages roll on," 

The Union, published at Fort Smith, Arkansas, where his 
body was buried, says of him, "Never, since our connection 
with the army, has the fate of a man created a wider and more 
heartfelt sorrow ; never was the sacrifice of one's life for his 
country made more bravely and seemingly more cheerfully." 

The spirit which actuated him in entering and continuing in 
his country's service, is well expressed in his own language, in 
a letter to his wife, then in this part of the country. It was 
written after his first period of service, subsequent to the bat- 
tle of Wilson's Creek, and just upon his enlisting again for 
three years or during the war — a dark hour in our country's 
history. He says, "I have sometimes thought that I would 
retire from my country's service to my home and family. But 
I know it would be wrong, and that you would love me less 
for deserting my country in this dark and trying hour. Lives 
must be given up, riches and all man possesses must be cast 
aside, and our country's flag kept waving, I thank God 
every day of my life, that my arm is kept strong to battle 
against our country's enemies. And it is a wonder to me, 
that so many of our country's young men should persist in 
remaining inactive, and allow for one moment a doubt as it 
regards our success." 

And then in his last letter, written just before the battle in 
which he lost his life, and evidently tinged with the feeling 



15 



which he expressed to Dr. Root, when he said, "I have. felt 
all the time .that I should not survive this campaign," he re- 
marks, " we are expecting a battle, and I wi'ite this knowing 
it is possible that this may be my last letter to you. But I 
hope that God will spare my life for your sake. If I should 
be killed, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that I 
died with my face to the enemies of our country, and in its 
defence. May God watch over you, and bless you ! If I die, 
think that it is God's will. And do not give up, but live as 
happy as you can, and teach our sweet child to love the memory 
of its father." 

His motive in all his military career was not personal ambi- 
tion, but pure and earnest patriotism, and a sense of duty to 
God and the cause of righteousness and humanity. 

And now, in conclusion, need a word be said to commend his 
example to us, especially to the young men, many of whom 
have known him — his example of patriotism, of purity, of 
courage, of self-sacrificing devotion to the right, and especially 
of faith in Christ and fidelity in his service. 

We mourn that his life was so short. But it was not short, 
if we measure it by deeds and services instead of years. And 
his example will inspire many to be like him, and to fill more 
than one place like his. Then we know that he died in the 
Lord's time, and we have been taught by our friend's exhor- 
tation, as well as by the principles of piety, to say, "Thy 
will be done." And assured of his interest in Him who is the 
resurrection and the life, we may well rejoice in our loss as his 
infinite gain. 



16 



With such thoughts we may adopt the words of the sacred 
poet, in our last address to him whose body we are now to con- 
sign to the grave : 

" Go to the grave in all thy glorious prime, 
In full activity of zeal and power ; 
Thou art not called away before thy time ; — 
The Lord's appointment is the servant's hour. 

Go to tlie grave ; at noon from labor cease ; 

Rest on thy sheaves, thy harvest-task is done ; 
Come from the heat of battle, and in peace, 

Soldier, go home ; with thee the fight is won. 

Go to the grave; for there thy Savior lay 

In death's embrace, ere He rose on high ; 
And all the ransomed, by that narrow way. 

Pass to eternal life beyond the sky. 

Go to the grave : — no ; take thy seat above ; 

Be thy pure spirit present with the Lord, 
Where thou for faith and hope hast perfect love, 

And open vision for the written word." 



LETTER FROM GEN. MITCHELL. 



EXTRACT FROM A LETTER WRITTEN BY GEN. ROBT. B. MITCHELL, 
TO THE FATHER OF CAPTAIN LINES, JUNE 11, 1864. 



Upon the organization of the Second Kansas Regiment in 
May, 1861, under my command, I found your son, an officer, in 
one of the companies. 

The conviction formed from the slight acquaintance I had 
with him prior to his entrance into service, that he would 
demonstrate the possession of peculiar abilities as an officer, 
induced me to observe him carefully in the discharge of his 
official duties. 

I found him apt to learn the minutige of such duty, prompt 
and correct in its application, and while rigid in the require- 
ment of the performance of every duty by the men under his 
command, yet, by his kindness and care for them, the respect 
enforced by his position and commands, was accompanied by a 
deep, earnest and soldierly affection on the part of the men of 
his company. In his associations with his brother officers, his 
high-toned bearing and conversation, his geniality of manner, 
his knowledge of his new profession, his correct and conscientious 
performance of duty, and his considerate regard for the feelings 
of others, under the most irritating of circumstances, made him 

universally loved, admired and respected. 
3 



18 



Upon the long and weary march in Missouri, immediately 
following the muster into service of the regiment, when those 
young troops — almost entirely unsupplied with the essentials to 
a soldier's comfort, and when inexperience made such lack more 
difficult to be borne — executed marches and endured privations 
almost unequalled before or since by veteran soldiers, his 
cheering voice was constantly heard encouraging the weary, his 
hand was extended to help the wayside fallen, and despite his 
delicate frame, by the strong purpose consequent upon his con- 
viction of the necessity for the sake of others of remaining at 
his post, he bore up against all hardships, and in the most 
gloomy periods, when fatigue, exhaustion, lack of food and of 
sleep, tended to dispirit all, he, supported by a conviction of 
duty to be done, and by the dictates of that kindness that 
induced so large a forgetfulness of self, unmindful of his own 
safety, his health, or his comfort, devoted himself to the task 
of restoring confidence and strength to the weary and disabled 
for new exertions ; all this was done by him without orders or 
direction, and while he was unaware that his conduct was the 
subject of obsei'vation or commendation by his superior officers, 
who recognized the great and faithful services rendered by him 
at the time. 

In the affairs at Forsyth and Dug Springs, his conduct was 
marked by distinguished gallantry. 

The illness of my Adjutant, Lieut. Thompson, enforced his 
absence from duty, and Lieut. Lines was detailed to perform 
the duties of Adjutant, in his stead. 

Lieut. Lines brought to the performance of the multifarious. 



19 



constant and arduous duties of the position of Adjutant, the 
same urbanity and conscientiousness in the discharge of duty, 
that had characterized him as a company officer, together with 
an amount of administrative ability that won from all the 
warmest encomiums. 

In this position, the relation he bore to me was of an ex- 
ceedingly confidential nature, and the ease with which he com- 
prehended all plans, issued the necessary orders for their 
execution, and superintended the details of such execution, 
the aptness of his suggestions and his undirected action, all 
demonstrated to me the possession of talent of an unusually 
high order, and induced me to regard him rather as a friend 
and adviser, than as a junior officer. 

Upon the field at Wilson's Creek, where the long, weary 
campaign of 1861 culminated in that heroic struggle of the 
lamented Lyon, against an enemy five times the number of 
his little band, the gallantry and efficiency of your son were 
particularly conspicuous, and did much to inspire the regi- 
ment with the spirit that enabled them to withstand and beat 
back the successive charges of an enemy so much exceeding them 
in number. From the nature of the duties attendant upon his 
position as Adjutant, he was very much exposed to the enemy's 
fire ; but he rode unscathed and erect wherever his presence 
could be of service, his clarion voice shouting words of encourge- 
ment or direction, or when the stern duties of the day permit- 
ted, speaking words of solace and comfort to the stricken. 
Among the brave men upon that field he will ever be remem- 
bered by those who saw him as among the first and bravest. 



20 



I was left wounded at Springfield, Mo., subsequent to that 
engagement, while the regiment proceeded to Fort Leaven- 
worth, having an engagement with the rebels at Shelbina, Mo., 
while en route. 

In the labors consequent upon the muster-out of the regi- 
ment at Fort Leavenworth, 1862, prior to its re-organization, 
the knowledge of the practice of the army, and its routine of 
official transactions and papers, which Lieut. Lines acquired 
with great facility and applied with great exactness, tended 
much to expedite the formation of the new organization. 

During the winter of 1861-2, 1 was in almost constant, daily 
intercourse with him in Washington, and the affection and 
respect that his conduct in the field had won, was strengthened 
by new developments of his possession of great social charms, 
eminent purity and honesty of character, and a quickness of 
perception and depth of understanding, that made his facile 
conversation and geniality of manner doubly attractive. 

Upon assuming command of a Brigade, I detailed him upon 
my personal staff as an Aide-de-Camp, in which capacity he 
was with me from May, 1862, until October, of the same year- 

With my command he proceeded from Fort Kiley, Kansas, 
to Corinth, MissiBsijDpi, thence to join the army of Maj. Gen. 
Buell, at Nashville, Tennessee. He was with me in the 
Kentucky campaign in the summer of 1862, and participated 
in the engagement at Perry ville, and at Lancaster, Kentucky, 
in that campaign. 

During this period, I had frequent occasion to call upon him 
for the performance of duties of danger and importance, and I 



21 



was always well assured that if knowledge of his profession 
energy, endurance and conscientiousness could accomplish the 
task set before him, it would he done. 

At the conclusion of the Kentucky campaign in October, 
1862, Lieut. Lines returned with me to Kansas, and there 
yielding to the solicitations of his friends and his own conviction, 
that he could be of greater service with his regiment, — then I 
think in Arkansas, — he returned to duty with it. 

I urged him also to take this step, despite my disinclination 
to lose so valuable an officer, so honorable a gentleman, and so 
true a friend, from my staiF, because I believed that in the line 
of his regiment, he could more readily obtain that promotion 
that his long, valuable and faithful services and his eminent 
fitness for high rank demanded, than he could in the staff 
corps. Justice to him, the service, the cause, and the country, 
demanded this personal sacrifice at my hands. 

His new field of duty being widely separated from my own, 
I heard but seldom from him, but always that his career was 
marked with those honorable and soldierly qualities that had 
always been attendant upon his actions. 

One letter informed me of his promotion, and the com- 
mencement, as I believed and hoped, of a series of rewards, in 
more and more advanced grades of rank ; and the next that I 
received bringing any news of his regiment, told the sad story 
that he had fallen. 

The intelligence came at the evening of one of the days of 
the hard fought battle of Chicamauga. With the din of the 
cannon still ringing in our ears, with the occasional shot that 



22 



told of the vigilant sentinels' watch of the movements of the 
enemy, with whom the next day we were again to struggle, 
with the groans of the wounded and dying ascending in our 
hearing, we who had known and served with your son, forgot 
for a time, the terrible business and incidents of the day, and 
were called upon to join with our sorrow for those who had 
that day fallen by our side, tears for the memory of our friend, 
our comrade, our brother officer, who had met a soldier's fate 
on a far distant field. 

Tired, weary and worn, with the dust of battle still on our 
faces, those who had known "Ed Lines" sorrowed for his 
untimely death, and recalled with melancholy pleasure the 
many instances of courage, gentleness and kindness, with 
which association with him was so fraught. 

But he is gone ; you have lost a good and affectionate son, 
the cause has lost an able and a brave soldier, the country a 
patriot, and we, his associates, have lost a true and well tried 
friend. 

May we not hope that the story of his upright life and 
glorious death, told by some appreciative and able tongue, will 
furnish a bright exemplar to which you, the father of so good, 
so noble, so pure a son, may see other fathers pointing their 
offspring as a model for a true and perfect life. 

With assurances of my condolence in your great bereave- 
ment, I am very truly. 

Your obedient servant, 

ROBT. B. MITCHELL, 

Brig. General. 



APPENDIX 



Captain Lines was very affectionate toward his family and friends, and unusually 
thoughtful of them, especially in writing whenever it was possible. A few 
extracts from the hundreds of letters received from him, are given below, which 
indicate the current of his thoughts and the character of the man: — 



Extracts from letters to his wife, when first entering the Army. 

'•Tou must remember there will be a great number of "Eddies" in this war, 
and some of them must die before our country is again quiet, and if God sees fit 
that I should be one to surrender my life for my country's good, I shall not com- 
plain ; pray and trust in God ; He rules every thing for good. 

We are going South with Gen. Mitchell ; " duty calls me to active life — and I 
expect to see within the next few weeks, many a noble man die a soldier's death 
and fill a soldier's grave. I trust Eddie will be spared ; it is hard to think that 
many kind husbands are leaving their dear ones for the last time, and at the boats 
this eve, it was hard to see the wives taking a farewell kiss of many a brave and 
noble man, for some must die." 



Wabauksee, Kansas, \ 
October 8th, 1861. j 
Dearest and beloved Kittie, 

I arrived in Wabaunsee Saturday evening. They were all glad to see me. Our 
dear brother Elsworth, I found to be in a dying state ; he knew me but said but 
little. You can imagine how I felt, coming home after such a trip to spend a few 
days with those I love, to find one of them so near the other world. He died last 
night and was willing to go; his trust was in God. It is a hard blow to us all. 
But father and mother were so much relieved to know that he had put his trust in 
the Lord. Dearest Kittie, this is a hard blow for me, I so little expected to fit.d 
one so loved to be taken from us. I have looked to such a pleasant visit, and to 
find all so changed, it makes me feel as I never felt before. But it is God's will and 
I submit. I know it will be hard to go awaj-^ and part with father and mother ; it 
seems as if it would be a last and a long farewell. But I think it a duty I owe my 
God and my country. If Kittie were here, it seems to me that I could not again 
part. But it may be for the best; Elsworth dead, Kittie miles away, and nil looks 
so dark, it seems that I am no longer that Eddie of old, but a soldier whose life 
is one of trial and hardships, and but a step from the other world. It is hard thus 



24 



to reflect, but I can not help it, and we must look at it just as it is, and be pre2]ared 
for the worst. As I looked at our dear one this morning, cold in death, I could but 
feel that I should soon follow him to the Happy Land. I have for some time felt 
that death was not far off, and now it almost stares me in the face. But I fear 
not; in God I trust, and it makes me happy when I know that Kittie will submit to 
His will. Dearest and much loved one, could I but see you once again I would be- 
so happy, and if it is possible for me to get to you, I shall try nn- best so to do. 



Planter's House. Leavenworth, Kansas. ) 

May 28th, 18G2. f 
Dear Father. 

I have but a few moments to write, as it is now after eleven o'clock, and I am 
quite tired. We have had a review to-day, by Blunt, of the troops ordered to 
Tenn., and this afternoon and evening wo have been shipping troops, and I am 
tired out. "We start to-morrow at noon. I go with the expectation of seeing some 
hard fighting, and knowing that I may be one of the Kansas men that will not 
come back. But it is all right ; duty calls and I am ready and willing to take my 
chances. From the news we get now it looks dark for our troops, and some think 
that we will be ordered from St. Louis to Washington. I care not, if we can only 
do some good I hope that you will write to my dear wife often, and in case I 
should fall, do what you can to make her happy. I will write as often as I can, 
and tell you all. But I feel confident that I will come out all right. 

Ever your loving son, ED. 



In Camp near Murfreesboro, Tenn., I 
September 3d, 1862. J 
Dear Father. 

I have but a few moments to write. I am quite well, — never better in my life. 
We are on the march for Nashville, Tenn. It is very hot, and wo have warm work 
before us. I think it is about even with the North and South. It looks dark for 
us. Direct your letters to me, at Nashville, Tenn., care Gen. R. B. Mitchell. My 
love to all. — In haste. Yoiw affectionate son, ED. 



Battle Ground, near Perryville, Ky., I 
October 10th, 1SG2. ) 
Dear Father. 

We have just finished a big battle. I am unhurt. — None of Gen.'s staff are in- 
jured. We have lost, of our connnand, (Mitchell's alone), 500, — our whole loss is 
yet unknown. I am satisfied with our success ; but for three days and nights 
.having been in the saddle; hungry' and worn out, I cannot write. We have 
all of our dead (as well as theirs) yet to bury. I have lost some good friends in 
this fight. I will write iu a few days. M}' love to all. Our Wabauusee boys are 
all well. In haste. Your aflectionate son, ED. 



25 



Head-Quarters, S. W. Dist., Springfield, Mo., | 

March 12th, 1863. f 
Dear Father. 

I am quite well, and have all I want to do. I am engaged now in hunting Horse 
Thieves. Caught two Saturday night, and got seven head of Stock ; and five to- 
day. The Boys are all well. I will write -you a letter in a few days. I am ex- 
pecting a letter from you. My love to all. I hope that mother is well. 

Tour dear son, ED. 



After his last visit, in speaking of hi^babe, be writes : 
"Our married life has been so pleasant, I can and do think of it every 
day as a bright spot in my life. I hope God in His goodness, will spare us 
to each other, and that long years of happiness are in store for us. I will be care- 
ful and hopeful ; how dearly, fondly I love our sweet babe ; I trust she may be 
spared to us. God has been so kind in giving us such a treasure ; can we ever 
thank Him as we should. May God bless and protect her, and give you strength to 
bear with her, and bring her up as we both so much wish to. ' I feel so happy that 
I have seen her and pressed her to my heart.' " 



His last letter to his jather. 

Near Cincinnati, Ark. 
In the field and on the march to Fort Gibson, ) 
August 19th, 18G3. \ 

Dear Father. 

"We have just stopped here for a few moments ; we are on a forced march to 
join Gen. Blunt, at Gibson. We have had a hard trip since we left Cassville, but 
of this hereafter. I will only say that I have had the advance, and we have done 
some good work. "We expect some hard fighting, and if I should be killed, I want 
you to settle up my business. I have Pay due me from July 1st. and Kittie will 
be entitled to a Pension. I would like to have it attended to at once. I fear not to 
die, but tremble to think of the effect it would have upon my dear wife and little 
one ; but God rules and I trust all to Him. You will hear, as soon as the battle is 
over, of me, and, either dead or alive, it shall be a good account; I have brave met, 
and we will do good work. I can't write more, I have so much to do. If I fall, 
ray papers will be sent to you. My love to all. 

In much haste, your aflFectionate son, ED. 



Fort Smith, Ark., ) 

September 2d, 18G2. J 
C. B. Lines, Esq. 

Dear Sir, — I take my pen to perform one of the most melancholy duties of my 
hfe. I must acquaint you of the death of our beloved comrade in arms, and your 
dutiful and brave boy, Edward (Capt.) Lines, of Company C, of 2d Kansas Cavalry. 

4 



26 



On the 8th day of August we left Sprhigfield, to reinforce Gen. Blunt, then at 
Fort Gibson. We have been on a forced march nearly ever since that time. "We 
found the enemy at Briertown or Brierville, in the Cherokee Nation, four days 
after leaving Fort Gibson ; drove them to Perryville, near the Texas line, and 
burned the town; then we started for Fort Smith. Gen. Caball, with about 2,500 
men, undertook to dispute our passage, but finally, after throwing a few shell at 
us from two howitzers, run. Our command, under Col. Cloud, marched about 17 
miles.|and were ambushed by the rebels. Company " C " being in our advance. The 
enemy formed in a dense growth of small timber and brush, and when our scouts 
came up, they let them pass through without firing a gun, but when Company C 
came up, they opened upon them »very heavy volley of infantry in two columns. 

Tour son was killed at that time. He was in the extreme advance, (as was his 
custom,) and was shot by a minnie ball, through the bowels and liver. He lived 
about 2^ or 3 hours after the wound, remaining entirely sensible to the last 
moment. He died as brave a man as ever gave his life for his country. Not a 
murmur or complaint escaped his lips. He said he should live but a few hours, 
and that he died where he preferred to die, at the head of his Company, firmly 
believing he would be better off in the world to come, and sending his warmest 
love to his wife, and father, and mother, and all his dear friends. 

I cannot write as I would, I am so pained at the loss of Eddie ; his Company 
are almost frantic with grief. I had no idea he was so beloved, except by myself! 
My heart is too full to write more. 

Yours, in affliction, J. W. R., 

Ass't Surgeon 2d Kansas Cavalry. 



Fort Smith, Ark., ) 

Aug. 3d, 1863. j" 
Chas. B. Lines, Esq., 

Dear Sir: — With feelings of keenest sorrow I write you a brief account of the 
wounding and death of your dear son, my dear friend, and one of the bravest and 
best officers that have ever given their lives to their country. Capt. Lines' Com- 
pany was made Col. Cloud's " body guard" for his Brigade command, when we left 
Springfield, and on all our forced marches, for several hundred miles, has been in 
the advance. 

For nearly five hundred miles of almost uninterrupted forced marching, we have 
had nearly a continuous fight, chasing bushwhackers and rebels of every grade, 
skirmishing by day and skirmishing by night. Near Fort Smith, Col. Cloud's com- 
mand was divided, a portion coming to the Fort with Gen. Blunt, and the remain- 
der taking the southern road after the fleeing Gen. Caball. Tired as we all were, 
we overtook the rebels about twenty miles from Ft. Smith, strongly posted in the 
mountains, in one of the strongest natural positions for defence I have ever seen 
Previous to the final engagement wo were skirmishing with pickets, rear guards, 
Ac, until your son boldly pushed forward with his brave boys, met almost at the 
muzzles of their guns the deadly discharge of over two hundred rifles, muskets, ic. 
Capt. Lines received a wound from a rifle ball, the ball entering the abdomen a 



27 



little to the right of the centre and passing out beneath the ribs on the left side of 
the body. The intestines were wounded, and several small vessels were severed, 
causing slow but fatal hemorrhage. I was immediately with the Capt. as he fell 
from his wounded horse, and never have I seeu more nobleness of spirit, more un- 
flinching coolness and bravery displayed, than was exliibited during the last hours 
of your son's life ; his cheerfulness was wonderful, notwithstanding his pains were 
extreme ; he murmured not — not even a groan escaped his lips. From the first, he 
was fully aware of his critical condition, and that he could not recover. He often 
spoke of you and of his own little family. The leaving of his friends being his 
only regret — of them he spoke freely. He had an affectionate spirit, he loved and 
in return was beloved by a host of good and brave men, who will ever remember 
Capt. Lines with feelings of pure respect and esteem. I wish I could say some- 
thing that might relieve the poignancy of your grief I can only point to the God 
you worship, for comfort, and pray that we all may be prepared for our final de- 
parture, whether it shall be amid the din and smoke of battle, as dies the noble 
brave, or with our loving families in peaceful homes. 

I have written in great haste, having a thousand things on hand. Please accept 
my heartiest sympathy, and believe me, as ever, your true friend. 

J. P. R., 
Surgeon 2d Kan, Cavalry. 



Extracts Jrom a Jew oj the many letters received by his family, after 
the death of Capt. Lines. 

Lawrence, Kansas, ) 

October 2d, 1863. \ 
Dkar Sm AND Friend. 

You do not, I trust, need telling, that in ypur terrible loss — which we count our 
own — we all deeply sympathize. At such a time, as one says of one in similar 
circumstances : — " the poor common words of sympathy seem such a very mockery." 
I need not here repeat them. Nor is the road to "The Comforter" one so un- 
traveled by you in the past, that in this new affliction you need a guide to the 
presence of that friend. You have so often proved his faithfulness, that you are, 
with the Psalmist, fully prepared to say, "Even the night shall be light about me." 
— " Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." I feel that our Churches have been 
smitten in the loss of one, of whom, though often mentioned in my hearing during 
my long journeyings, I have yet heard no word but as in his favor as a soldier and 
man. Need I say more to you, to his mother, his wife or of him. 

What you deem the best obituary notice published, with any added particulars, 
from your pen, we would crave for permanent preservation in our "Record" of 
Kansas Churches. 

Your friend and younger brother, L. B. 

C. B. Lines, Esq. 



28 



Lawrence, Kansas, ) 
March 9th, 1864. J 
Hon. C. B. Lines. 

Dear Sir: — You have received a heavy blow, but it does not fall alone upon you. 
I feel that I have cause to mourn the loss of a dear friend in your noble hearted 
son, and the State has lost a treasure not easily replaced. Please accept my heart- 
felt sympathy iu this affliction. 

Very truly, your friend, C. R. 



New York, ) 

October 16th, 1863. ) 
My Dear Friend. 

I have just received notice of the death of your son. I must say, in view of the 
facts of his death and of your well grouuded hope of his preparation for the 
change, that I feel like offering you my congratulation rather than any ordinary 
expressions of condolence. It is a great thing for a man to give a son to die as he 
died, in the assurance of hope for the hereafter. He will live in the affections of 
all his family for generaHoiis ; his deeds of valor and sacrifice will be told at the 
fire-sides of your children's children, for centuries, and the fact and glory of dying 
for his country is inseparably connected with his name for all time. Do not mourn 
for him I Thank God rather that you had such a son, and that he gave himself so 
nobly to the cause of right and liberty. 

Yours truly, S. B. C. 

Mr. C. B. Lines. 



Springfield, Missouri, ) 
September 19th, 1863. f 
Dear Sir. 

The news lately received of the death of your sou, Capt. Lines, is sad. It brings 
to me the intelligence that I have lost a firm and true friend, a brave and gallant 
officer, while to you it conveys the information that you have lost a son who was 
an honor to his parents. It was not my fortune to be with him on that day, but 
knowiug him as I did, I feel proud to learn that he died nobly, that he was stricken 
down while in the discharge of his duty to his country, and ho died, as he had 
lived, loved and honored b)' all who knew him. I sincerely sympathize with you 
in this affliction. 

Respectfully, 0. A. B., Lt. Col. 2d Kan. Cav. 

C. B. Lines, Esq., Topeka, Kansas. 



Lawrence, Kansas, 

December 8th, 1863. 



Hon. C. B. Lines. 

Dear Sir: — Now that the first mevitablc pang has been assuaged by time, will I 
obtrude upon the sanctity of your grief, if I assure you how nuich I .sympathize 
with you in the loss of your son Edward. Althougli a comparative stranger to 
you, I could class him as one of my valued friends. During my connection with 
the Second Regiment, I had many opportunities to learn and admire his many good 



29 



qualities, and to know tliat to many beside myself ho endeared himself. Beside 
your personal loss, the State has lost a gallant soldier and honest gentleman. Will 
you consider me one who knew his worth and lament his loss. 

I am, very dear sir, yours respectfully, E. D. T. 



New Haven, Conn., ) 

October 24th, 1863. J 
My Dear Friend. 

I need not assure you that I was deeply affected when the news came that Ed- 
ward had fallen. The loss of such a young man, to his family, to his parents, and 
to society, it is painful to think of. What ties are broken, — what fond anticipations 
destroyed, — what hopes crushed. But when we look at life as it is — but a brief 
speck in the whole of man's existence— what matter is it so far as the individual is 
concerned, whether it is terminated a few years sooner or later. To man the only 
question of importance is : has the life, whether longer or shorter, been what life should 
be. And oh, how well does your son's record answer this question. To family 
and friends the death of one so loved, and so apparently needed by them, is a great 
affliction; and to human vision an irreparable loss. But faith can look beyond the 
present appearance and trust in a Heavenly Father who looks beyond the present, 
even to the end, and orders all things well. — making " all things work together for 
good to those who love God." And then what cause you have to rejoice that your 
son has been taken in the fullness of honors, and placed beyond the possible danger 
or fear of failure. Your dear son has secured what but few ever attain in this 
world — his name will go down in history as one of the martyrs for liberty and free- 
dom, — with the Warrens and Hales of the Revolution ; and the Lyons, the Russells 
and the Blakes, that Connecticut has given to their country in this war. 

Hoping to see you again in the flesh, and earnestly praying for God's blessings to 
rest upon you and all near and dear to you. 

I am, Truly yours, S. D. P. 



Lawrence, Kansas, ) 
Nov., 1863. f 
Dear Sir: — 

I heard of the death of your son with deep sorrow. Honored and good, he has 
been cut down in the sprmg of life, and has gone where the tumult of battle will 
never molest him. Perhaps your son never fullg realized the weighty issues that 
are staked upon the result of this war ; but I knew him well enough to be sure 
that he did not fight for paj', or glory, merely. Our dear Lord, who gave His life 
to save a world, will welcome with unutterable love one who fell in the effort to 
lift and save a race. In His arms you can leave your boy with the assurance that 
it is well with him. And if at times you feel that your son is lost to you, try to 
comfort yourself with the thought that lie may be nearer to you now, and more 
helpful, than when he was on the plains of Arkansas. 

I pray that you will accept my deep sympathy for you in this bereavement. The 
event will not have happened in vain, if it brings you nearer to that cross where 
alone is rest. Most truly, H. M. S. 



30 

Letter Jrom his jormer Teacher 

V Hi 
November, 1st, 1867 



New Haven, Conn., ) 



Hon. Charles B. Lines. 

Dear Sir: — I am glad to learn that you are about to publish a memoir of your 
sou, Edward, who gave his life for his country during the recent rebellion. His 
noble record should be preserved, because we instinctively feel that the memory of 
such a man should not perish, as well as because wo want to spread and perpetuate 
the influence of his example. 

His was a great contribution to the vast sura of noble acts by which our country 
has been saved for liberty, and liberty for the world. But beyond even this, we 
are brought to honor our common human nature more by these instances of heroism 
and devotion, that show us what lies dormant and concealed in it, until some stir- 
ring call brings it out to the sight of men. 

The thought that the quiet, unassuming lad, who sat before me among his hun- 
dred and fifty schoolmate.«, has been in counsel and in action all that your son was, 
heightens to me the value of those who occupy their seats now. I see the possi- 
bilities that lie undeveloped, and feel that my work is ennobled by them. And not 
students mereh^ but men everywhere, at the plough, in the workshop, are more 
now to us than they were some years ago Their thoughts, their rights, their dig- 
nity weigh more in our estimation. Grateful as we are to those who fell in this 
war, we have not yet learned to appreciate fully their influence on the present 
as on all the future. 



" They died in giving [usl 
Liberty ; but left a deathless lesson, — 
A name which is a virtue ; and a soul 
Which multiplies itself throughout all time." 

Your son for years sat before me, as I sat where I am now writing. As my eye at 
this moment falls upon his seat and desk, I recall him perfectly; quiet, unassuming, 
studious, eminently trusted to do his duty at all times, honored and loved by all 
who knew him ; wliat else should we have looked for but a life, however long or 
short, filled out with duty performed. How blind were we not to see in him all 
this surety for his future. The old Spartans went into battle with their crowns 
already on their heads. There was that in them which ensured victory even in 
defeat. If our eyes had been opened as those of a prophet of old, we should have 
seen him even in his boyhood thus crowned for life by his virtues, his firmness 
under tempatation, and that perseverance in the right which was the insurance of his 
success. You have not ceased to grieve, you never will, for the loss to you of 
solace, of aid and reliance, as life grows old; but your grief is lightened by the 
thought that he wielded just the sword that our Lord came to bring; that your loss 
has brought train to the world and to him, too, in that kingdom of God for the 
bringing on of which it really was, that he laid down his life. 

Very truly yours, W. H. R. 



31 



A FEW EXTRACTS FROM THE PRESS. 
The Late Captain Lines. 

A letter to the Commercial Advertiser, contains the following particulars of hia 
faU: 

" As Cloud's advanced guard, led by Captain Lines, approached, the rebels fired, 
and he fell from his horse, shot through the bowels. The ball entered his loins on 
the left side and passed entirely through his body, coming out near the right hip. 
He survived about four hours. In death his face wore the same expression of 
constant courage, and of calm and dauntless energy, that marked it in the dis- 
charge of all his duties, in camp and battle." 



The funeral of the late Capt. E. C. D. Lines, will be attended at the North Church 
on Thursday, at 4 o'clock, P. M. 

Captain Lines was killed on the 1st of September last, in the Indian country, 
near Arkansas, and temporarily buried at Fort Smith. He was advancing upon 
the enemy, at the head of his column, through a deeply wooded and rough country, 
his company constituting the advance guard of the brigade, under Col Cloud. 
They were ambushed by the rebels, who rose as they approached, and fired a 
deadly volley. Capt. Lines fell mortally wounded, and died in three hours. 

His remains have been brought to his native city in care of his father, for inter- 
ment, in compliance with his dying request, and the earnest desire of his deeply 
afflicted widow, who is now permanently located in this vicinity. 

"We quote from the "Fort Smith Union," a loj'al paper, issued at Fort Smith, 
under date of September 2d, the following extract: — "Seldom in the history of this 
cruel, unnatural rebellion, have we been called upon to perform a more painful duty 
than to record the death of this brave young officer. Never, since our connection 
with the army, has the fate of a man created a wider and more heartfelt sorrow ; 
never was the sacrifice of one's life made more bravely and seemingly more cheer- 
fully." He died peacefully, and in hope of a glorious resurrection. — New Haven 
Courier. 



Captain Lines was a native of Connecticut, in which State he received his early 
education, and made his home, until the commencement of troubles in Kansas. He 
came to that young territory with his father and brother, together with a largo and 
respectable number of old friends, and formed the beautiful little town of Waubon- 
see, on the Kansas river. "When the ballot-box was trampled under foot by an in- 
vading foreign force, and Free State men were murdered in their own houses and 
fields. Captain Lines was ono of the first to resist tyranny and form a company for 
the protection of the people, of which he was elected Lieutenant, being then scarcely 
twenty-one years old. This was, probably, the first Sharp's rifle company in Kan- 
sas. He was in many of the fights and skirmishes during the trying times of '56. 



32 



As soon as the South signified her determination to sever the Union, by firing 
upon Fort Sumpter, Captain Lines was the first man from his county to offer his 
services to his country. He entered the army in 1861 as a private, but was elected 
and appointed a Lieutenant. The first important engagement in which he took a 
part, was the battle of Wilson's Creek, where he acted as Adjutant to the old 
Kansas Second. He was in all the actions which occurred in Missouri and Arkansas, 
until Col. Mithcell was promoted to a Brigadier, when he was placed upon his staff 
and sent to the trans-Mississippi army. Here he served with distinguished honor 
to himself and his country, and went through all those weary forced marches and 
desperate engagements without receiving a wound. Last autumri he was trans- 
ferred to the Kansas Second again, and promoted soon after to a Captaincy. 

On the 1st of September, Gen. Blunt had ordered Col. Cloud to pursue Cabell's 
retreating army. Captain Lines company formed the advance, and were ambushed. 
The enemy were so hard pursued, they were compelled to make a stand, and a 
heavy volley was fired from a cornfield at the head of our column. Capt. L. fell 
mortally wounded, and lived about three hours. He seemed as cheerful after his 
wound as before, encouraging his men to do their duty. He said he had but two 
regrets, one dying away from his friends, and the other that he had not been able 
to do more for his country. His remains were brought back to this Post, and in- 
terred at the Cemetery in a beautiful grove of oaks. 

Never was a braver, better soldier — never was a more loyal, devoted lover of his 
country — never a man, who had more or stronger friends than Capt. E. C. D.- 
Lines 1 — Fort Smith Union. 



The Fort Scott Union Monitor, Extra, brings us a report of a skirmish between 
part of the troops under Gen. Blunt, and the rebels, in which Capt. Ed. Lines was 
killed. 

He was a son of Hon. Charles B. Lines, Receiver of the Land Office at this place. 
Capt. Lines entered the army early in the war. He has seen much service — was 
brave almost to rashness. As an officer he was popular — as a citizen loved and 
respected by all who knew him — as a son, everything that parents could desire. 
He, with thousands of others, has laid down his life to perpetuate free institutions. 

How many fathers and mothers have been made childless by this war, and are 
doomed to linger here alone, without the props they had expected would support 
them in their old age! — Topeha State Record. 



Tribute to Captain Lines. 

A meeting of some of the officers of the 2d Kansas Cavalry was held at Spring- 
field, Mo., September 11th, 1863, to pay tribute to the memory of Capt. E. C. D. 
Lines, who was killed at the head of his squadron while leading a charge against 
the enemy near Fort Smith, Arkansas, September 1st, 1863. There were present. 



33 



Lieut. Col. Owen A. Bassett, Maj. Julius G. Pisk, Capt. Hugh Cameron, Lieut. 
John Johnston, Lieut. Elias S. Storer, Lieut. J. Carey French, Lieut. Barnett B 
Mitchell, Lieut. John B. Dexter, Lieut. Samuel K. Cross. There were also present, 
by invitation, the following officers of the 2d Indiana Battery: Capt. John "W. 
Rabb, Lieut. Hugh Espey, Lieut. James S. Whicher, they having been with that 
Battery during the last year, serving with the 2d Kansas Cavalry. 

Lieut. J. Carey French was elected to act as Secretarj^, and a committee was 
selected to report resolutions. The following were adopted: 

Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God, in his wisdom, to remove from our 
midst, our much esteemed and beloved brother officer, Capt. Edward C. D. Lines, 
"C." Co. 2d Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, who died as he lived, brave, true, kind 
and generous ; an accomplished gentleman and honorable soldier, whose bearing, 
during his long service, has secured the love and esteem of all his brother 
officers; Therefore, 

Resolved, That while we mourn the loss of our departed friend, we feel conscious 
that his death was that of a true patriot and good soldier, falling as he did, with 
"his back to the field and feet to the foe." 

That dying, as he has lived, faithful in the discharge of his duties, wo can proudly 
point to his example as the pattern of private and official worth and excellence. 

That we tender to the afflicted wife and parents of the deceased, our heartfelt 
sympathies in this, their severe affliction, fully realizing that deeply as we may 
feel our loss, they mourn a husband and son. 

The Secretary was directed to furnish these proceedings to the relatives of the 
deceased, and for publication in the " Topeka Tribune" and " New Haven Palla- 
dium." 

J. CAREY FRENCH, Secretary. 



Leavenworth, Kansas, 

November 11th, 1861. 



Testimonials found among the papers of Captain Lines. 
Head-Quarters, 2d Regiment, Kansas Volunteers. 

The bearer of this, Lieut. E. C. D. Lines, has been an officer in our Regiment 
ever since its organization, and participated in the battles of Forsyth, Dug Springs, 
and Springfield, in all of which he displayed the most admirable coolness and 
courage. At Springfield, he was acting Adjutant of the Regiment, and exhibited 
the most absolute and utter disregard of danger in the discharge of the manifold 
duties of his position, riding about in the storm of round shot, rifle balls and shell, 
with the same coolness and self-possession which characterized his conduct on 
parade or drill. 

He is now detached on Recruiting service, and it gives us both pride and 
pleasure to bear testimony to his worth as a man, and his gallantry as a soldier. 

RoBT. B. Mitchell, Colonel. 

CiiAS. "W. Blair, Lieut. Colonel. 

W. F. Cloud, Major. 



34 



Head-Quaeters, 30th Brigade, Army of the Ohio. 

In Camp near Crab Orchard, Ky., ) 
October ISth, 18G2. J 
My Dear Sir. 

You are about to leave this command for duty in another field of military opera- 
tions. My best wishes go with you. As one of the staff of Brig. Gen. Mitchell, 
you have won from this entire Division the golden opinion which your anxious 
care to do your whole duty deserved, and you will ever be remembered by all as a 
brave, capable and faithful officer. I trust you will soon be awarded a rank in 
which you will have greater opportunity for the exercise of the military ability 
which you possess. I know that you will acquit yourself well in any position to 
which you may be assigned, and that the reputation which you have already won 
in camp and on our severe marches, as well as on the battle field, will never be 
sullied by any act unbecoming the gallant and accomplished officer. With the 
most heartfelt wishes for your future success, I have the honor to be, 
Very respectfully, your obt. servt., P. S. P. 

Col. Comdg. 30th Brig., Army of the Ohio. 
To Lieut. E. C. D. Lines, 

Staff of Gen. Mitchell, 9th Division, Army of the Ohio. 



.f«l 



Bbr8r^5^ongress 



013 760 102 3 



